Our Dog's Amazing Transformation ^^

Out of boredom, I juxtaposed a photo of our pet dog during his early days with a more recent snapshot. The result is a depiction of his amazing transformation which happened in barely a year!:)

Though JIGGLY remains to be a playful and overly energetic furball sometimes to the point of being destructive haha, it is without doubt that he has already grown. 

I do wish our otherwise loyal pet would remain with us until 100 dog years or beyond. Never mind the x number of slippers and stuff that he has nibbled and would nibble to disintegration...never mind his annoying hobbies which include licking human skin, nipping human legs and playing tug-of-war with a rag...he would always be forgiven as long as he stays healthy and keeps us company for the longest time possible.:)

Uh...on second thought, I take back what I said about the slippers and stuff LOL.:)

Jiggly Bit Me! (On Getting Anti-Rabies Shots)

I just had my first vaccine as a grown-up - "anti-rabies" that is. Well, not that I was really anticipating it.T_T

Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. The disease is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted from one species to another, such as from dogs to humans, commonly by a bite from an infected animal. 

For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. The rabies virus travels to the brain by following the peripheral nerves. The incubation period of the disease is usually a few months in humans, depending on the distance the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system. Once the rabies virus reaches the central nervous system and symptoms begin to show, the infection is virtually untreatable and usually fatal within days.    - Wikipedia

No thanks to our little furball JIGGLY who's currently at a stage where he playfully bites and nips everything he encounters in his way. His favorite perhaps is human leg.@_@ 

Jiggly takes a break from leg nipping for a photo opp. ^^

Last Sunday, Jiggly happily nipped my leg but got a little too rough that I ended up having shallow skin scratches. There wasn’t any bleeding though but the epidermis was somehow broken. Unfortunately, our pup hasn't received anti-rabies shots yet due to his young age which is just a little over 2 months. 

Though convinced that Jiggly's "clean" plus my pocket's not too happy to shell out moolah haha, I  decided to have myself vaccinated with anti-rabies just to be sure.

It took me 5 days before I was able to go to an animal bite clinic (Heaven Animal Bite Clinic located in San Mateo, Rizal). To my surprise, there were lots of patients even though it was already evening. I didn't realize until then how animal bite could be very widespread. 

To be honest, I'm scared of injections haha. 

The doctor let the anti-rabies vaccine flow just right under my skin by means of a small needle. With my eyes closed, I stopped breathing for a few seconds. After "recovering" from the ordeal (LOL!), I was advised to be back after 3 and 7 days to get more shots.

Since the "bite" took place on the 23rd of June, I was given until the 8th of July to monitor Jiggly. If he dies (oh no!), then that's a definite sign of rabies so I need to complete 5 rounds of anti-rabies shot. If he remains healthy, which I fervently pray, then I could relax and stop at the 3rd round of vaccine.

UPDATE (July 8, 2013) JIGGLY IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND KICKIN'!:D Guess I'm spared from the wrath of rabies. Thank you Lord!:D

At the clinic, I was handed a sheet of paper with some guidelines which I would like to share to everyone:

WHAT TO DO DURING THE VACCINATION PERIOD: 

A. The Animal 

1. Monitor the animal for 14 days from the day of the bite. 

2. DON’T KILL THE ANIMAL IF IT IS STILL HEALTHY. 

3. Behaviors to observe which often indicate the presence of rabies in the animal: 

 * Suddenly become restless and agitated  *  Suddenly becomes aggressive; bites on anything (In my case, this isn't valid because Jiggly has been like that ever since haha)  *  Runs around without direction; excessive drooling and foaming in the mouth  *  Has difficulty in eating and drinking water

4. If the animal dies during the observation period, bring its head immediately to any   laboratory for rabies test.

= RITM Animal Laboratory [Filinvest, Alabang, Muntinlupa City; Telephone No. (02) 807 -2628]

= Bureau of Animal Industry [Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Q.C.; Telephone No. (02) 926-8071]                                                                       

= San Lazaro Hospital Rabies Unit [Quiricada St. Sta. Cruz, Manila; Telephone No. (02) 732-3776]                                                            

5. If the animal gets sick during the observation period, bring it immediately to the  nearest veterinary clinic. 

B. The Person 

1. As much as possible, avoid alcoholic drinks, steroids and medicine for malaria. 

2. For those vaccinated with ERIG and ATS, avoid chicken, egg, crab, shrimp, shrimp    paste, fish sauce, fish and food with preservatives such as tocino, longganisa etc. 

3. The skin area where vaccine [Equine Rabies Immunoglobulin (ERIG)*/ Human Rabies Immunoglobulin (HRIG)*/ Anti Tetanus Serum (ATS)/ Tetanus Toxoid/ Purified Vero Rabies Vaccine(PVRV)*] was injected may appear red, swollen, and could be itchy right after vaccination. It could be covered with warm towel for the symptoms to subside.

*Types of Anti-Rabies Vaccine --- It's best to consult a doctor to gain further understanding on what each one is. It was made clear by my doctor though, the type of anti-rabies vaccine initially injected should also be the same as the succeeding shots during the vaccination period. No mixing.

4. If fever occurs after receiving the anti-rabies shot, paracetamol may be taken as medicine. 

5. Consult the doctor if after vaccination, any of the following condition is experienced: extreme itchiness, redness/rashes spreading from the vaccinated skin area to the whole body, difficulty in breathing and continuous fever. 

6. The schedule of vaccination must be strictly followed. In case of failure to do so, it is important to call or visit the clinic as soon as possible to know the next course of action to take. Always bring the Vaccination Schedule Card.

ALGORITHM FOR RABIES POST-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS

Source: http://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circulars/2012/circ15_2012.pdf

Click link for larger image.

Going back to Jiggly, yes, he is currently under observation but I am very confident that he will make it through the 8th of July. And I won't have to worry about...err...dying LOL! Because as I look intently at our little furball now, he's still the same adorable, playful and "nippy" puppy that he is...well, so far.:DDD

Happy times...Jiggly and I.:D

One Post, Four Dogs! ^^

DOGS? Who doesn't love 'em?:D

Truth is, I am so fond of dogs, so is the rest of the family.:) If our past and present canine pals could speak to each other, I am very confident that they would all agree on how we treat pets so kindly, as if they're truly one of us.:)

I remember, our first pet dog was a golden brown beauty whose real name is Gomaoniga, GOMA for short. I know you'd find her (yeah, dog's a she!) real name weird but it was actually derived combining the first syllables of the names of the Tabid kids (aka my siblings and I). Yeah, we were that possessive haha. A neighbor gave her as a gift which the family graciously accepted. Unfortunately, as of writing time, I couldn't really remember Goma's breed and how long she stayed with us before she rested in peace. Anyway, posthumously, she still holds the record of being our family's first ever dog that made us experience the great responsibility and even greater joy of having a pet.

Fast forward to 1999, a little white mongrel became part of the household. It was at that time that a new family tradition was unintentionally born, that is using the names of POKEMON characters for our pets. Initially we just thought our little white mongrel was as cute as Pikachu, one of the lead characters in that famed cartoon series so we decided to name him as such, CHUCHU for short.

With overflowing love, our little white mongrel grew into an adorable bear with ever gentle disposition.:) We enjoyed Chuchu's company for 9 years.

Pikachu aka CHUCHU; 1999-2008

A year after Chuchu left us, we welcomed a new puppy. And we were back to seeing a golden brown furry friend in our home just like the first time.:) We named the cute little bitch after another pokemon, Bulbasaur. The nickname? BULBY! 

I would have actually suggested that she be named Jiggly Puff, another pokemon, because for me it sounds cuter. Unfortunately, I wasn't home when the name selection took place so my "voice" wasn't heard, oh well!:D

Bulby is very much alive and kicking up to now.:) Half mini pinscher, half pitbull, there's no trace of Chuchu's gentleness in her. Instead, she barks at the faintest scent of people especially beyond the family circle, at the slightest movement or at the softest sound outside our home. It has long been agreed upon that she is the ultimate guard dog.;)

BULBASAUR aka BULBY; 2009 to present

Little did I know that 4 years later, Jiggly Puff would come into existence! Donald, the Hubby (then boyfriend during the time of Chuchu and Bulby's earlier years) accepted an adorable little white furball for us to adopt . (Segue, do we see a trend here? Brown - White - Brown - White :D)

And the name? JIGGLY!:) The pup's officially the first ever pet of the DG Couple (yours truly and Hubby). Jiggly's with us for only 2 weeks but he (yup, another "he") has already endeared not just Donald and I but everyone in our respective families.

Jiggly Puff aka JIGGLY, DG's newest little furball

Initially, my mom did not want us to bring Jiggly home (to my maiden home that is, since the Hubby and I already live 6 doors away) fearing that the ever aggressive Bulby would attack the little puppy but we insisted on doing so. Good thing mom's fear was unfounded! The first time we actually brought Jiggly to my maiden home, Bulby seemed to tame down in the pup's presence. There was not any display of playfulness nor over friendliness in the bitch's part though but we immediately knew Jiggly's not and will never be seen as a threat.:)  UPDATE (6/26/13) Bulby and Jiggly are already friends! They now spend some time playing with each other teehee :DD

Since coming into our lives, Jiggly has become a stress buster for both Donald and I.  Have to control myself though because every time I come home and see the cute little puppy trying to get my attention, wagging his tail and running around as if there's no tomorrow, I have this urge to squeeze him out of gigil haha.:D

Anyway, there's a part in me thinking what if all our pet dogs had existed at just one period in time and had made friends with each other? It would be a riot for sure, a happy riot that is!:D 

Now who doesn't love dogs?:D Well, I do for sure!:D

Before and After ^^

Before I drift off to dreamland (and it's way past my bedtime LOL), let me share with you the transformation that a fellow blogger, CHERRY of My Life Lately, did to an old photo of our beloved departed polar bear, oh I mean, dog ^^ Pikachu aka Chuchu. 

Tadaaaaaaaah!

Obviously, the photo became sharper and more vivid. Chuchu's round eyes became more pronounced and the whiteness of his fur became more noticeable. 

Anyway, who would have thought that this adorable and classy looking dog was merely an AsPIn (Asong Pinoy) with no distinct breed?:) 

Now, I miss Chuchu all the more T_T.

Anyway, super thanks to Cherry for inviting me to be part of her Before and After post.:) For more of her amazing works, visit her blog now.:)